UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN
Enrique Guzmán y Valle
ALMA MÁTER DEL MAGISTERIO NACIONAL
ESCUELA DE POSGRADO
Thesis
The role of English Tutors at San Juan Bautista Private University for
Absolute Beginner English Students: A case study.
Submitted by
Ana Rosa GORDILLO RIOS
Adviser
Miguel Alfonso ORÉ DE LOS SANTOS
To opt the academic degree of
Master in Educational Sciences
in teaching English as a Foreign Language.
Lima – Perú
This is dedicated to my husband and children
because without their support and motivation I
would not have been able to complete this work.
Acknowledgement
I thank God for giving me the health I needed to successfully complete my master
studies. I also thank my advisors for the motivation, patience and support I received from
Table of Contents
Title i
Dedication ii
Acknowledgement iii
Table of Contents iv
List of Tables vi
List of Figures vii
Abstract viii
Introduction ix
Chapter I Research Problem
1.1 Determination of Problem 11
1.2 Formulation of Problem: General and Specific Problems 19
1.3.1 General Objectives 19
1.3.2 Specific Objectives 19
1.4 Scope and Relevance of Problem 19
1.5 Limitation of Research 22
Chapter II Theoretical Framework
2.1.1 International Research Background 24
2.1.2 National Research Background 31
2.2 Theoretical Bases 33
2.3 Definition of Key Terms 36
2.4 The role of an English tutor 40
Chapter III Hypothesis and Variables
3.1 Hypothesis 44
3.2 Variable 44
3.3 Dimensions of Variable 44
3.4 System and Categories of Analysis 45
Chapter IV Methodology
4.1 Research Approach 46
4.2 Research Type 46
4.3 Research Design 47
4.4 Population and Sample 47
4.5 Techniques and Instruments of Data Collection 48
4.5.1 Questionnaire 48
4.5.1.1 Technical specifications 48
4.5.2 Interview 49
Chapter V Results
5.1 Validity and Reliability of Instruments 50
5.2 Presentation and Analysis of Results 51
5.2.1 Analysis of the Students’ Interview 51
5.2.2 Analysis of the Questionnaire 66
5.3 Discussion 80 Conclusions 83
Recommendations 84
References 85
Appendixes 89 Appendix A: Consistency Matrix 90
Appendix B: Questionnaire 91
Appendix C: Questions of the Interview 92
Appendix D: First Tutorial Process for Absolute Beginner English Students at UPSJB 93
Appendix E: Second Round Tutorial Process for Absolute Beginner English Students at UPSJ 94
Appendix F: Tutorial Process for False Beginner English Students at UPSJB 95
Appendix G: Typescript of Students’ Interview – English Version 96
Appendix H: Typescript of Students’ Interview - Spanish Version 104
Appendix I : Mg. Eduardo Ruiz Sevillano’s report - Math teacher 113
Appendix J : Mg. Carlos Hinostroza Almaro’s report as the Math tutor 114
Appendix K : Mg. Eduardo Ruiz Sevillano’s job certificate 115
Appendix L : USIL’s advertisement. 116
Appendix M : Peruvian University Law 30220 – Art. 87.5 117
Appendix N : Expert opinions’ results. 118
List of Tables
Table 1 Some Private Peruvian Universities which Included
English in their Classes 12
Table 2 System and Categories of Analysis 45
Table 3 Experts’ Opinion 50
List of Figures
Abstract
The main purpose of this work is to support San Juan Baustista Private
University’s students who did not have the opportunity to study English properly at their
schools giving them the necessary personalized pedagogical teaching, so that they can
understand how they should study the language and in this way they would be able to join
their future English studying groups without problems. The second objective is to prevent
these students to develop learned helplessness or to help them overcome this problem with
the personal teaching of an English academic tutor.
Historic evidence, after more than 40 years of experience, shows that a language
cannot be learnt within the range of such a limited time of exposure. For this reason my
proposal is that students who have very little or no English knowledge, should count on
English tutoring to guide them in the beginning of their learning process.
Keywords: tutor, absolute beginner, false beginner, independent learner, autonomous
Introduction
The purpose of this research is to demonstrate that academic English tutoring at San
Juan Bautista Private University (UPSJB) plays an important role for beginner university
students (first cycle), whom are known affectively as "cachimbos" in their process of
learning English.
Students’ academic step from the school to the university is not homogenous. Each
student has to adapt him/herself according to their own reality and knowledge. This
adaptation process is often unfair because, although UPSJB offers the same opportunities
for all their students, not all the students enter with the same prior knowledge. English is a
subject that requires a lot of practice and it must be a compulsory course for all Peruvian
universities. The student who did not have the opportunity to practice it properly at school
may feel that he/she is at a disadvantage compared to his/her classmates and it may be an
obstacle to get his/her professional title.
We realized this problem three years ago, when the author of this work was
teaching English at the UPSJB and it was when we decided to do this research in order to
help this group of less privileged students. especially for the students who come from
remote parts of the country to the capital to study their professional careers and cannot
advance in the same conditions as their classmates because they do not have any prior
knowledge of the target foreign language.
We think that with a personalized academic English tutoring in the first levels of
the course, “the cachimbos" could have the necessary pedagogical guidance to cover the
and it would be suggested to add this contribution to its strategic plan to take this
investigation into consideration.
The framework of this research is as follows: in chapter I we determine and
formulate the specific problems. We also mention general and specific problems with their
objectives. The scope and relevance of the problem is also punctuated in this chapter and
the limitation of this research is also detailed here.
In chapter II we show the theoretical framework which includes research
background, theoretical bases and the definition of some key terms mentioned in this
thesis. The variables involved in the research are shown in chapter III.
In chapter IV the methodology used for this research is specified. The research
approach, type and design is cited. The population and sample, techniques, instruments of
data collection and the statistical treatment are also included in this chapter.
Finally, in chapter V, we demonstrate the results of all the research. It includes the
validity and reliability of the instruments, presentation and analysis of the results and the
Chapter I
Research problem
1.1 Determination of problem
In July 2014, the Peruvian government promulgated the University law No.
30220, which stated that learning a foreign language, such as English, or a native
language like Quechua or Aymara, was to be mandatory for all undergraduate studies.
For that reason Peruvian universities must now include English in the curriculum for
all the majors they offer.
The law does not specify the levels or the number of pedagogical hours that
universities should allot to English classes. For that reason there are still some
universities that have not included this course in their programs yet. We assume that
they will do so in the upcoming terms, since all graduating students from 2014 - II
term must have taken this course to get their bachelor’s degree. Some universities have
started since the first or second term; others will have to start from the advanced ones.
The chart below shows some of the Peruvian universities that have already
Table 1
Some private Peruvian Universities that have included English in their classes
Name of Peruvian universities
Number of
pedagogical hours given weekly
Included English in:
Levels of English to be taught. Universidad Peruana De Los
Andes UPLA 4 h. once a week 1st semester 4
Universidad Privada San Juan
Bautista UPSJB 3 h. once a week 1st semester 4
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia UPCH
Universidad Ricardo Palma URP
3 h. once a week
3 h. once a week
3rd semester
2nd semester 4
2 Pontificia Universidad Católica
del Perú PUCP (n.a.) 2nd semester Basic level
Universidad Católica Sedes
Sapiences UCSS (n.a.) 1st semester 3
Universidad Peruana Las Américas 2 h. once a week 4th semester 5 Universidad Marcelino Champagnat
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (USIL)
2 h. twice a week 2 h. three times a week
1st semester 1st semester
4 and 5 7
1
List of web links of some universities that have included English in their classes
San Juan Bautista Private University (UPSJB), where the author of this study
works, is one of the universities that has included English in its curriculum and they
have allotted three pedagogical hours to this subject once a week. It is taught in four
levels: in the first and second semester English I and II, in the fifth and sixth semester
Technical English I and II. The students’ book has interactive Cd Roms with
complete audios and transcripts. Teachers teach in large classes, (an average of 30 to
50 students per class), where students have different previous knowledge of the target
language. Students come from various contexts, where they have received different
levels of English classes, from the most elementary to students who are studying
intermediate or advanced level in language centers of the country. However, the same
language centers will have fewer difficulties with the course, but what about the group
of students who have elementary level or who have never understood English at
school and are now forced to study it?
To understand the reality of the latter group, whom Beare (2016) called absolute
beginners, that is, “learners which have had no or very little English instruction”, we
need to take a look at the reality of Peruvian English language teaching in public
schools. English in Peru is taught as a Foreign Language (EFL), which means that
English is used only in the classroom. In a comprehensive study of the EFL situation
in Peru since 1998 to date, Oré (2013) stated that
English teaching in Perú comprises a compulsory course that is taught from
first to fifth grade of secondary public schools (...). Developed within the
framework of the curriculum program nationwide, the English course is a
subject that high school students study compulsorily for two academic hours
once a week throughout the system of public schools, (p.118, own
translation).
It is relevant to state that since 2015 the Ministry of Education has increased the
hours of English in all the Emblematic National Schools at the secondary level, from
two to five hours. This is a special program that has been recently implemented and its
results will expectedly be seen within five years. However, most schools still only
offer two hours of English classes per week.
Students need massive amounts of exposure of the target language in order to
successfully learn it (Muñoz, 2006). The lack of exposure is one of the reasons
students are not able to understand tasks and they feel frustrated when they cannot do
their homework. For that reason this group of students thinks that English is too
Another reason is that students who have studied in remote parts of Peru with no
exposure to English, because they did not take any English course at school and they
came to Lima to get their university degree to return to their native places after
having their title, now they are forced to study a language that they probably will
never need. Oré (2013) summarizes this circumstance:
As shown in the experiences of teaching English in Peru, the diversity of
contexts in which it has been given, shows the existence of realities and
varied problems.
The impression left by the analysis of the context of schools after more
than 180 years of frustrated attempts to try to teach foreign languages, with
usually unachievable objectives and developed in condition clearly
inadequate as it is the lack of continuity in the application of educational
policies, has generated the consequent lack of continuity in the planning,
application, monitoring and evaluation of the policies adopted for the
purpose in teaching English language particularly at public Peruvian high
school level.
This instability has prevented or at least limited any possible attempt to
develop English in high schools. (p.133, own translation)
Within this context we can consider that most students, who finish high school
in public or private system that have similarities to the above context, cannot develop
language skills (reading, writing, listening, or speaking) properly upon competition
of high school.
Now that students are studying English again under similar conditions as in high
school, a mandatory course that they will have to study throughout their university
additional problem that some of their classmates are able to understand the target
language easier than them, this group of students may feel frustrated and very
discouraged making them have bad attitudes towards the course and creating in them
cases of “learned helplessness” which according to Seligman (1975) is a negative
response to an unpleasant event. Some students who developed learned helplessness
at school think they are not good at English just because they do not understand the
teacher nor the material used in class. They received too much oral or written
information in a very short time.
At the university students receive much more information than in school. This
new and huge information cannot be processed or controlled by the students who
study English for the first time because it is not dosed appropriately by the system
(the overcharged English syllabus content and the reduced amount of hours allotted
by the course) besides, the university's system does not contemplate reinforcing
classes or additional explanation for the weakest students. Teachers must comply the
whole syllabus allotted by the course and as a result, absolute beginner English
students cannot control the new English information and have lack of internal locus
of control.
The locus of control, according to Rotter(1954) is a degree of personality of the
individual in the responsibility they have for the control of their own internal and
external actions. In this case, students have internal lack of locus of control because
too much new information given cannot be processed by almost nobody in such a
short time. We think that lack of locus of control is the starting point to generate
“learned helplessness” because the student thinks he/she is not able to learn English
lack of professionalism of some teachers can create cases of “learned helplessness”
in the students.
Teachers have to deal with this situation and they have to work on students’
instrumental motivation, Gardner and Lambert (1972), quoted by Horwiz (2010),
propose an instrumental motivation for learners who want to learn a language
because of a practical reason, in this case just passing the semester or simply getting
their bachelor degree.
Choosing the appropriate book is also important to make students feel that now
they can do it. Wen-Cheng, Chien-Hung and Chung-Chieh (2010) suggested that
“textbooks provide novice teachers with guidance in course and activity design; (…)
they meet a learner’s needs or expectations of having something concrete to work
from and take home for further study”. UPSJB’s English teachers’ team, knowing
the limitations of exposure to the language student will be, has chosen a very didactic
and avant-garde textbook (with an interactive Cd-rom included) to give the students
the opportunity to use it to practice the target language on their own outside the
classroom.
Students have to understand that this is another opportunity they have to learn
the language and this time it is up to them. Teachers can give them the theory and
examples but they need to practice by themselves at home several days during the
week. Students must know that they need to be independent learners using their class
material given. As Holec (1981), quoted by Little (2007), defines independent
learning “To take charge of one’s learning is to have (…) the responsibility for all the
decisions concerning all aspects of this learning (…)”. Students also need to
understand that exposure to the language is crucial so, once or twice and two or three
point of agreement in most theories of language acquisition is the need for exposure
so language can be acquired. That is, students cannot possibly learn a language
without one way of exposure or another to the language in use”. Ore (2010) also
contributes when he mentions that exposure of the language, among other factors, is
important for acquiring a foreign language.
In an EFL context like Peru, the only exposure that students can have is in the
classroom, but if the students use their interactive material with audio included, they
can be exposed to the language more than once a week, which is the way most
students learn English at the university. This can tentatively be a way to lighten the
problem. However students would be using a machine which will never suffice to
get to explain the reason of their errors or mistakes nor will it ever tell them how to
start the topic of writing. Moreover, absolute beginner students need to listen to
someone encouraging, challenging and rewarding them. They need a guide to calm
down their anxiety.
Anxiety is regarded as the most important affective variable in foreign language
learning (Krashen, 1982). Anxiety makes learners scared and nervous, which
consumes learners’ energy and attention, and this will influence much on their
learning results.
For all the reasons mentioned above, absolute beginner English students at
UPSJB need to be exposed to the language by practicing more at home doing their
homework, and when they cannot do a task by themselves or they require additional
explanation they should have an English tutor to help them solve their English
problems in their first term.
This proposal is that within the range of tutors that UPSJB hires, they also hire
problems of adaptation to the system since the beginning of the term as English is
now a compulsory course in all careers they offer.
The role of university tutors in most universities in the country has been limited
to giving guidance to the students’ professional and scientific development, without
paying attention to the academic side, despite the fact that University law 30220 -
2014 SUNEDU Art. 87.5 Paragraph 5 states that: "Universities have to provide
tutoring to students to guide them in their professional and / or academic
development," see app. M. (Own translation)
UPSJB provides academic tutoring to students who have failed the subject twice
(they call it BICA) or for the third time (TRICA). However, according to Seligman
(1975), failure repetitions in a subject or the negative view that one has in a society
regarding failure results generate the so-called "learned helplessness" that is an
artificial disability for this subject which is created by the system or, more
specifically, by the learning condition of each student.
For the courses taught in Spanish (students’ native language) it is very difficult
to determine since the first day class whether or not he or she will need academic
help, because instructions come in their native language and students can read
explanations and practice on their own. Students have to try. But in English,
evaluation can be done immediately and even the student him/herself can do a
meta-cognition and since the first day he or she knows if he or she will need help.
Teachers can recognize absolute beginners since the first writing activity, too.
For the reasons explained above, absolute beginners need English tutoring in the
first term to avoid developing "learned helplessness". Tutors will help them to be
learners in the upcoming terms. We can also add that as a likely consequence the
number of students’ dropout will decrease considerably.
1.2 Formulation of problem
What is the role of English tutors at San Juan Bautista Private University
concerning absolute beginner English students?
1.3.1 General Objectives
To get to know the role of English tutors at San Bautista University
concerning absolute beginner English students.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
To describe how the guidance of an English tutor can help make it possible
university absolute beginner English students become independent
learners after the first English level (English I).
To demonstrate that university absolute beginner English students should
have an academic English tutor to help them prevent or overcome their
learned helplessness.
1.4 Scope and relevance of problem
In 2014 Peruvian government promulgated University Law No. 30220, which
states that learning a foreign language is mandatory for all undergraduate students and
that all Peruvian universities must include English subjects in all majors that they
offer.
According to the author’s experience as an English teacher in several local
universities and language institutes, Peruvian universities have obeyed this law
(2001), quoted by Knight (1996),defines needs analysis as the procedures used to
collect information about the needs of learners. Philipson (1992, p.12) also stated:
When claims for English or ELT are put forward, the appropriate response
would be to ask: 'What scientific evidence is there for them?' Analysis of such
arguments, of who uses them and why, can illuminate the factors that
determine decisions to promote a particular pedagogical approach, or one
language rather than another, and the major social implications that such
decisions entail. Analysis needs to place the arguments in their historical
context if light is to be shed on the force of the arguments and their truth
value.
Peruvian Universities have implemented English as a foreign language along the
same line as theoretical Spanish courses (now more widely known as
“Communication”) without foreseeing that there are factors that need to be considered
so that students can learn the language properly, such as how important the frequency
of exposure to the target language is considering that in Peru, again, English is a
foreign language. As an example, the university where the author of this study works
for (San Juan Bautista Private University) has allotted only three pedagogical hours
once a week to study English in all semesters. Public and private Peruvian universities
usually allot two or three pedagogical hours once a week to subjects that are worth one
to three credits and English is one of them. As experiences with teaching English in
public Peruvian schools has shown, Oré (2013) stated that when students leave the
schools they have none or very little knowledge of English due to many factors, being
among the most relevant, the lack of exposure to the foreign language.
As Muñoz (2006) also declares that students need to be exposed to the foreign
that only have English two or three hours once a week, need to be exposed to the
language by practicing more at home doing their homework on their own.
But, what happens with university students who have never studied English at
school because they have come from other parts of the country (like the jungle or the
Andes) and they came to Lima to study their university studies? Those students who
Beare(2016) names “absolute beginners2” need a person who guide and show them
how to tackle the new experience of learning the foreign language, how they can
handle their English class material on their own, to become independent learners from
the second English level onwards. With the limited amount of time and taking into
account that classes are given in large groups (30 to 60 students) where students have
different previous knowledge of the target language, regular teachers cannot teach
individually and these students will have fewer opportunities to understand English
instructions in such a limited amount of time.
When the author of this thesis taught her first regular English level to a large
group (forty-five students) she found that there were ten students who had never
studied English before (they had come from rural parts of the country). These students
told her they were not able to do the homework because they did not know how to do
it because they had forgotten the instructions given previously and they could not
understand the English instructions written in their textbooks, she realized that these
students needed private teaching. These students wanted to practice English at home,
but they could not do it by themselves. She wondered if this was happening at the
beginning of the first semester when English instructions were very basic, how would
it be when they were in more advanced semesters? It was that moment when she
decided to complete this study to help absolute beginners of Peruvian universities.
“Tutoring is a resource that has been used for centuries in the history of
education. It is conceived as the art of extracting what is in the student's mind and help
him/her to realize their own potential, through the guidance of a private teacher or
tutor " (Malbrán, 2004).
The above quote summarizes English tutors’ role to help absolute beginner
students become independent learners at San Juan Bautista Private University.
Then, it would be suggested that if absolute beginner English students fail
English level I they will have to repeat the course probably more than once. This fact
leads the students to cases of learned helplessness.
1.5 Limitation of the research
According to Bernal (2010) limitations in a research project may refer to three
main aspects: time limitation, geographic limitation and resources limitation.
The time limitation defines the period that the study was carried out and the
characteristic of the population involved in the research. In this specific case, this
project lasted two years, from 2016 to 2017. Students from UPSJB – Chorrillos
branch were the population involved for this research. There is a considerable group of
students who come from remote parts from Peru.
The geographic limitation defines the geographical space where the research has
been taken place. This study took place in Lima- Perú at UPSJB – Chorrillos branch.
In the resources limitation Bernal (2010) proposed to mention all the financial
sources of the research project. This project was self-financed.
In addition to these limitations, Bernal (2010) alsoassertedthat in a research
project there may be other kinds of limitations the ones which were not easy available
for the researchers, such us information, population available for study, difficulty to
The first one was that tutoring programs are not implemented in Peruvian universities
and it is difficult for university teachers to change the concept of the tutors’ role in
universities. Finally, as University English tutoring program is not a common topic,
very little international research has been carried out specifically addressing the role of
Chapter II
Theoretical framework
2.1.1 International Research Background
Mack (2014) in her study entitled “Importing the Writing Center to a Japanese
College: A Critical Investigation” which purpose is to enrich understandings of the
major issues encountered when tutoring in writing for beginner-intermediate level
Japanese EFL students in a Japanese university. This analysis was able to facilitate
new discussions on the challenges and issues that these tutors, administrators and
students face in EFL tutoring. The research is related to findings at that specific
university, a unique Writing Center in an individual context and with a small number
of participants. This study contributes to the scarce research on EFL tutoring and
Asian writing centers and suggests possible outcomes for theorizing about EFL
writing tutoring.
This study uses a mixed method approach aligned with the interpretive paradigm
to investigate the challenges encountered with beginner-intermediate EFL students.
The specific research questions focus on issues that tutors encounter when tutoring
EFL students to write short essays and paragraphs. The aim is to investigate tutorials
with EFL students in order to better understand the nature of the problems encountered
in the tutorial.
Researchers have been dealing with these issues in United States writing centers
for some thirty years, but they have a different impact when raised in a local context of
a newly created writing center. Bergman, Brauer, Cedillo, De los Reyes, Gustafsson,
Haviland and Spangenberg (2009) quoted in Mack (2014) explored writing centers in
a European context. They concluded that the “answers and approaches that U.S.
(…) we need to tread carefully when considering who, in short, might be appropriating
whose culture and to what effect” (p. 205).
The participants in the study were beginner-intermediate level Japanese EFL
students in a Japanese university. Specifically, the thesis examines how students and
tutors perceived the challenges experienced in EFL tutoring. This research is based on
a mixed method approach that combined the collection of qualitative and quantitative
data: The instruments used were (1) semi-structured interviews with writing tutors ,
(2) tutor training workshops (a quasi-focus group), (3) observations of writing tutorials
and (4) questionnaires to Japanese EFL students.
Manzoor (2013) in the research entitled “Reasons and necessity of Private
tutoring in English for Bangla medium primary school students in Bangladesh” to
investigate the reasons and positive effects of private supplementary tutoring in
English in Bangladesh and also to find out the attitude of students towards private
tutoring, concludes that the learner should understand why he-she needs a private tutor
and how he-she can benefit fully from this tutor.
To conduct the survey 35 participants were randomly chosen by the survey
conductor. All the participants were the students of different Bangla medium schools
of Bangladesh. They read in Bangla medium schools at primary level. They were from
public and private schools of Dhaka city. Classroom observation was done
successfully to find out if there was any lacking in English teaching or not. The
findings from the survey show that most of the primary level learners received private
tutoring and they are satisfied with the English lessons provided by their private tutor
rather than their school teacher, since learners could not be satisfied with the lesson at
school because the school teacher did not have enough time to explain the whole
subjects and ask students to practice more and more; so as a result learners’ English
improved after receiving private tutoring. For this reason students prefer to go to
private tutors to learn English and also to get good marks in the exam. Learners should
not fully depend on private tutor because private tuition has both positive and negative
effects. Parents and learners should recognize the importance of private tuition in
English, but also be aware about negative effects of it.
Zerin and Zafar (2013), in their paper referred to “Tutoring Extra Hour: Does It
Help Students to Improve Language Skill?” at BRAC University from Dhaka,
Bangladesh, examine how tutoring extra hour in the university level will lead students
to achieve success in English language learning to cater to the needs of prospective
graduate students going into the highly competitive job market.
They have shown that providing extra time to learners by giving proper guidance
and constructive feedback can improve their language skills. The goal of this
discussion of giving extra time beyond the classroom is to help struggling learners to
keep pace with classroom learning environment. In this article, they tried to show how
a tutorial session helps the learners to engage in the classroom activity and promote
student’s learning in a smooth way. Zerin and Zafar (2013) also believe that
motivating learners and giving constructive feedback in tutorial sessions can benefit
learners directly in enhancing their language skills in the regular language classroom.
They believe that tutorials can serve as a catalyst to shape the learners’ language skills
in order to enrich classroom activities.
The participants in this study were 40 intermediate level ESL students enrolled
in an English language Course in the summer semester (3 months long) and three
instructors. The primary aim of the study was to see how effective and useful extra
Teachers invest extra time for the students and the outcome is important for the further
assistance to the students. The researchers have been working with tutorial session
from the very beginning and over the period they have noticed significant difference in
students’ improvement. The instrument used to collect data form participant was a
questionnaire. Three particular research questions were addressed: (1) How does extra
time help students to come out from the ESL problems and keep pace with the regular
classroom environment? (2) Was the tutorial session useful for the students? (3) Does
feedback from tutors help students to improve their writing and speaking in English?
Bankowski (2011) in her study “Developing Effective Strategies for Independent
Learning: Handling Research Tasks in English for Academic Purpose (EAP)”
concludes in the following: “It was hoped that EAP Training could serve not only to
equip students with the language skills required for tertiary study, but to fit them better
for the more independent, enquiring style of learning characteristic of university
study.”
Two main objectives guided this study. The first was to examine and analyze the
nature and extent of experience and training which Hong Kong students have received
throughout their secondary education in carrying out tasks requiring an independent
approach, that is, research projects. The second was to study the effectiveness of a
specially designed Training Program for EAP research projects on the development of
learning strategies for independent academic tasks. All instructional materials were
designed to provide a step-by-step transition from familiar traditional methods of
teaching to an unfamiliar self-directed approach.
Two surveys were conducted to collect data, of which the first was created with
a view to establishing the degree to which students were prepared to carry out
study 716 first year students from various faculties at Hong Kong Baptist University
(HKBU) were surveyed. Of those, 86 students participated in the second stage as
subjects of the Research Training Program. The results of the investigations
throughout this project supported previous informal observations, and highlighted the
“educational dichotomy” faced by first year undergraduate students in Hong Kong that
has been noted by other researchers and was outlined in the Education Commission’s
report on Higher Education in 1996. These findings then, suggest that the majority of
students entering university are generally unprepared for the challenges of
independent, research-related work at university level.
The development of the program worked in this way. Students were taught how
to identify suitable ideas for research, to formulate their own research questions for a
topic, and to narrow topics appropriately. They were shown how to extract relevant
information from references for use in writing and how to incorporate information
from a number of sources in their own work. The strategies that the instructors
presented were specifically relevant to the tasks that students had to perform. Students
were encouraged to approach the instructors or tutors at any time should they have
queries or experience any difficulties. Class time was also set aside to address
individual questions and problems, and particular care was given to preparing students
for the research section of their work. Students were required to attend individual
consultations with instructors or tutors to establish appropriate topics for their research
essays; topics which would provide scope for the development of original and
individual arguments.
Lee (2010). It should be noted that due to Australia’s high average attrition rate
of university students (18%), Lee did this research for the Centre for Accounting,
strategies to engage first-year students in the transition to university learning: The
students’ perspective”, to explore the perception of first-year students in a Property
Programme about the usefulness of tutoring strategies in engaging them in their
learning during their transition to the university.
This was a six-week exploratory qualitative study to examine how students
perceive the usefulness of tutoring strategies adopted in these six weeks, specifically
how these strategies assist in engaging students in their learning process. An
open-ended questionnaire addressing the role of tutoring in first year transition was used to
ask students to comment on tutoring strategies designed. The research two questions
were: (1) what aspects of student-centred teaching approaches were identified by
students as most useful? And (2) how do students perceived these strategies in
assisting them in transitioning to university learning? The questionnaire was given in
week 6 and it was centered on teaching aspect only. The introductory information and
questionnaire design were planned to frame the students’ mind on the right focus, and
the terminologies used in the questionnaire had been used in the tutorials to ensure the
students understood the questions. The results were: forty per cent of the students
were “very satisfied” and sixty per cent “satisfied” with tutorials sessions at the
university.
Findings from this qualitative research highlighted three main themes: (1)
student-centred teaching style, (2) feedback, and (3) assessments. From these, the
student-centred teaching style was identified as most significant in engaging students’
learning and hence assisting them in their transition. The research suggested that tutors
should be student-centred, responsive to students’ needs, and caring of students in
The participants in this research were 38 undergraduate students enrolled in a
first-year Property course in an Australian university. Various tutoring approaches
were adopted to engage students in their learning. For instance, icebreakers were us ed
in the first lesson to make them talk and get to know each other. This aimed to help
students feel more relaxed and comfortable with their peers and the tutor. Students
were informed clearly about the assessment requirements on the first day and about
the benefits of tutorials. Students were required to get in groups weekly. More help
and support were extended to weak and shy students who were encouraged to have
individual tutorial sessions. To improve student learning, in addition to weekly tests,
tutor provided weekly problem-based exercises for students to apply theory in solving
real-world problems. For example, students were taught to measure building areas, and
then conduct field work in groups with the tutor’s guidance. Feedback was given so
that students understood their mistakes and knew how to improve them.
Lee finishes her research arguing that students’ expectations of teaching and
learning are partly influenced by their previous education and life experience (Ozga &
Sukhnandan 1998). As well, their level of pre-university preparation is crucial in
affecting their adaption to university learning styles (Lowe & Cook 2003). Poor
academic performance (Sharma & Burgess 1994) and students’ dissatisfaction with
their academic experience (Price, Harte & Cole 1991) were among reasons of
student’s dropout. For those reasons it is appropriate to provide the necessary
scaffolding to first year students to adjust to a more independent style of university
learning (Nelson et al. 2006). Hence, this research will further investigate the
effectiveness of engaging first-year students by using student-centred learning
2.1.2 National Research Background
Very little research has been carried out specifically addressing the role of
English tutoring in colleges. Two different experiences came to my knowledge about
tutoring. The first one is from San Ignacio de Loyola University (USIL) in Lima- Peru
and the second one was from Las Americas University,
USIL makes agreements with some schools in Lima that offer intensive English
program in their curricula, some of them from pre-school level. Parents who want their
children to study at that university know that their children must have some prior
English knowledge. For this reason, none of the entrants to the USIL’s regular
program can be considered as "absolute beginners".
San Ignacio de Loyola University offers in all its undergraduate syllabus an
English tutorial program course so that when the students finish their university
studies they may have a good command of English and they will be able to take an
English exam for level B2 given by the university, which is the equivalent of a First
Certificate English (FCE). It is a requirement that students have to pass this exam to
get their university degrees.
English is a compulsorily course during the five years of all the careers USIL
offers. It is taught 2 hours per class, three times a week. During this period the
students, who fulfill some disciplinary requirements, can access to an English tutoring
program which can be in two ways: a) in groups which a teacher is the tutor, or b)
individual (peer tutoring) which consist in tutors that are students with advanced level
of English and good grades. Both programs are controlled by USIL’s staff through
The case of Beca 18.
The Ministry of Education of Peru has a scholarship program called Beca 18
through which it fully pays the university studies of public school students throughout
the country. This is an opportunity for the students who got the best marks in their
high schools. The Ministry of Education makes agreements with some private
universities, as it is the case with San Ignacio de Loyola University (USIL).
USIL has developed a special program for these students before they enter the
regular undergraduate group because the previous preparation they had in school for
English, Physic, Chemistry and Language do not accomplish the ones required by the
university. This program lasts six to eight months. In this period students study the
aforementioned courses in order to get the appropriate missing level to join the
undergraduate group. It should be noted that the 90% of the students of this group are
considered as “absolute and false beginners”.
This experience shows us that "absolute beginners" need a special pedagogy
treatment from the beginning to become future independent learners.
The second experience is about a Math tutoring at Las Americas University.
Pisa33 2013 test showed that among 66 countries Peru scored the last place in Math.
Math and English have always been the “monster subjects” in school. The weakness in
math usually generates learned helplessness. Now that English is s compulsory course
in college, it is still the “monster subject” as well as Math and can also generate
learned helplessness to the university students. For this reason the experience of Math
tutorial can be useful for this study.
It is about a teacher Eduardo Ruiz Sevillano who taught Financial Math in 2011
at Las Americas University twice a week in the Administration program. He was the
regular teacher of a third term university students’ large group (more than 50
students). In that year Math tutorial was given to the students who had problems to
understand the exercises. Mr. Ruiz was told to tell the weak students to attend to the
tutorial sessions to reinforce math classes. The tutor was a full-time-job teacher Mg
Carlos Hinoztrosa Amaro whose tutoring report is also included in this study (see
appendix J). Mg. Hinostroza is still working at Las Americas University but not as a
tutor any more. Math tutorial classes were given only for Administration career under
the instruction of Dr. Lili Chang Sanchez but the following years tutorial program was
not given for political reasons.
Ruiz’s conclusions (see appendix I) were that students’ who had attended to
tutorial classes improved their math knowledge. He noticed that after tutorial sessions
weak students could participate more in the regular classes and consequently those
students could increase their grades.
2.2 Theoretical bases
Zavala and Córdova (2010), took as an antecedent the policies of "affirmative
action" applied in the educational system of the United States and implemented a
program at the universities San Antonio de Abad from Cusco and San Cristóbal de
Huamanga in Ayacucho which offer leveling and academic reinforcement courses,
personalized tutorials, vocational guidance lectures, human rights training workshops,
intercultural citizenship and support for extracurricular activities for students who
students who have studied in indigenous (remote) places who have fewer
opportunities. They say that:
Equity in education has been associated with the pursuit of the same opportunities
for everybody within a social justice perspective. However, in recent years, equity
is not associated with the same opportunities any more. This is partly because the
experience says that equalizing the supply of educational resources for
heterogeneous groups results a greater exclusion for the most vulnerable people.
(own translation p. 15)
While it is true that universities offer the same opportunities to all their entrants,
it is also true that not all the students have received the same preparation for it.
Morduchovichz (2003) named by Zavala and Córdova (2010) asserted "Equity has not
been associated with equal opportunities in access and has focused on the educational
outcomes of students and the need to attend mainly the initial disparities". López
(2005) also named by Zavala and Córdova (2010) said "The notion of equity
renounces the idea that we are all the same and thus a new strategy is proposed to
achieve that fundamental equality" (own translation, p. 14).
After almost twenty years of experience working as an English teacher at San
Juan Bautista Private University language centre, the author of this study knows the
population of students at the university and believes that a great majority of them
come from secondary schools (either state or private) where they have received few
hours of English teaching. The author realizes that when these students are exposed to
a large heterogeneous group, where some classmates have more knowledge of English
and who understand the teacher’s instructions or the book clearly, they feel excluded.
Moreover, there are students who have studied in highlands and jungle schools where
their university studies. These students are less likely to adapt to the system and they
make greater efforts to pass English. These differences demand to question a
classroom pedagogical discrimination and to develop strategies according to those
students’ learning process. For this reason we believe that San Juan Bautista Private
University could offer an equity policy for absolute beginners to compensate this
disadvantage by offering personalized English tutoring during the first level of English
in order to offer them the pedagogical treatment they require from the initiation of the
program, so that these students can become independent learners in the following
English levels.
UPSJB offers academic tutoring for groups of students who have failed a course
for two or three times. However we believe that in the specific case of the English,
there is a considerable number of students who, having had the opportunity to study
English in school, due to the limited number of hours that the national education
system offers in secondary schools, or because the student have had a bad experience
during the English course, have already developed a "learned helplessness". The
"learned helplessness" theory, according to Seligman (1975) basically consists in that
the repetition of a stigma for years, the continued failure in a discipline or the negative
experience that one has in a society with respect to the failure, creates an artificially
incapacity on the child or young person with respect to a subject. In English subject
we can see that since the primary school the students label themselves as "I am not
good at English" creating a learned helplessness for themselves. This is the reason that
we believe that the student who has already developed a learned helplessness to the
English course, needs, from the beginning, an academic English tutor to help him or
“For students whose first language is not English, the writing classroom cannot
provide all the instructional assistance that is needed to become proficient writers. For
a variety of reasons, these students need the kind of individualized attention that tutors
offer.” Harris and Silva (1993, p. 525). The authors wrote this quotation referring to
those students who study English and live in a context where everybody speaks
English out of the classroom (English as a Second Language ESL) and reflects that
learners and teachers have to invest extra effort to attain success in learning a second
language for students who have difficulties in this process. If those students who are
exposed to the target language daily need extra help to write it, why not offer the same
support for absolute beginner English students who study in an English Foreign
Language (EFL) context, where English is spoken only in the classroom? This is the
case of Peruvian absolute beginner university students.
2.3 Definition of key terms
2.3.1 Definition of “Tutor”
Merriam Webster dictionary has two definitions for tutor: “(1) A person charged
with the instruction and guidance of another: such as a private teacher. (2)a teacher
in British university who gives individual instruction to undergraduates.
The Royal Spanish Academy dictionary shows four Spanish definitions related
to the topic: (1) Someone who wields a guardianship. (2) Someone who is in charge
of guiding students in a course or subject. (3) A defender, a protector or a director.
(4) A private teacher who was in charge (many years ago) of the children education
of a family.
As we can see, the Spanish definition gives a different connotation to the word
“tutor”. In our country, with the word “tutor” we refer to the person who is in charge
of guiding students at school or at the university, focusing their attention on the
teachers or parents. They are the link between the school or university and students’
parents. Nowadays tutors in Peru are the receivers of complaints and give parents the
information when their children have academic or behavior problems but they do not
give additional classes to weak students.
For the purpose of this work the definition is provided by the RAE in its second
subentry. We are clearly aware not much information is available about tutorials in
Spanish and of the difficulty of translating the English concept of “tutor”, as
suggested by Merriam Webster dictionary, but somehow the concept we have
developed seems to be conveyed more clearly by the Rae’s definition, subentry two.
2.3.2 Definition of “absolute and false beginners”
Beare2 (2016) defines absolute beginners as the learners who have had no or
very little English instruction. He also said that teaching absolute beginners requires
the teacher to pay special attention to the order in which new language is introduced.
The teacher lesson plan plays an essential role in making sure that new grammar is
introduced slowly and successfully.
False beginners are English learners who have studied English in school, often
for a number of years, but never acquired any real grasp of the language.
False beginners will often pick up speed as they remember past lessons.
Absolute beginners, on the other hand, will progress slowly and acquire each point
methodically. If teachers jump ahead in the order, or begin to include language that
absolute learners are not familiar with, things can become confusing quickly.
In the first semester, lessons are taught in large classes and are there are both
false and absolute beginners. Our focus on this study will be the absolute beginners.
False beginners can benefit from the tutoring program if they want to, because
2.3.3 Definition of academic coach
Macmillan dictionary defines “a coach” someone who trains a sports player or
team. It gives a second definition: someone who teaches a special skill, especially
one connected with performing such as singing or acting.
Rosen (2015) defines an academic coach to someone who tends to work on
strategies to help kids succeed. He or she can help kids develop a more organized
approach to learning and schoolwork. An academic coach may also focus on
strategies to help kids with motivation. Anyone can call himself an academic coach
because there is no official credential required for this job. A coach could be helpful
for students who have certain skills but lack the motivation, organization or strategies
they need to apply those skills.
According to the online article The Family and Learning Center, learn how to
learn through educational coaching titled The difference between educational
coaching and tutoring, said that educational coaches focus on the students. Coaches
trained in cognitive processing, including learning disabilities to get a collaborative
team. They focus on how to learn, not on what to learn.
2.3.4 Definition of advisor or adviser
Macmillan dictionary defines and advisor as someone whose job is to
give advice on subjects they know a lot about,
for example politics or financial matters.
On the other hand, Esch (1994), quoted by Mozzon (2004), considered
“advising” as the provision of help and advice so that the right conditions are
available for students to learn more or to become more efficient learners to be an
key role and, in this context, teacher and advisor may be the same individual or, as
in the case of the University of Cambridge Language Centre, two separate roles.
Riley (1997), quoted by Mozzon (2004), considered advising as a fundamental
category of a communicative situation but very distinct from teaching. He provides
a useful table distinguishing between teaching and counseling.
2.3.5 Definition of Counselor
Macmillan dictionary defines a counselor as an adviser; and counseling as a
piece of advice and help that you give someone with their problems, especially as
your job.
In contrast, Kelly (1996), quoted by Mozzon (2004), presented a framework for
language counseling for learner autonomy and used the term, counseling which she
defined as “a form of therapeutic dialogue that enables an individual to manage a
problem”. Gardner and Miller (1999), quoted by Mozzon (2004). also used the term
“counseling” in their book on self-access explaining different types of counseling at
various settings.
2.3.6 Definition of instructor
Macmillan dictionary defines an instructor as someone whose job is
to teach a skill or a sport. On the other hand, Lindeijer (2014) on his online article
entitled “what are the differences between an instructor, tutor, supervisor and
mentor”? Declares that an instructor is someone standing in front of a group of
people (size of group doesn’t matter) telling them how to do something (with or
without demonstrations). They have the knowledge; you have the desire to learn. It’s
their job to try and teach you the information in a way that is easy to understand. It’s
New terms, such as facilitators, mentors, helpers, learner support officers,
language and consultant, have appeared to define a role and mark new skills from the
existing teaching profession (Mozzon-McPherson, 2001).
2.3.7 Definition of autonomous learners
Learner autonomy is essentially a matter of the learner’s psychological relation
to the processes and content of learning. We recognize it in a wide variety of
behaviors as a capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision-making, and
independent action. The various freedoms that autonomy implies are always
conditional and constrained, never absolute. As social beings our independence
is always balanced by dependence, our essential condition is one of
inter-dependence; total detachment is a principal determining feature not of autonomy
but of autism (Little, 2007)
2.4 The role of an English tutor
Considering that academic tutoring program is new in our country the role of
English tutor should be well established so we believe it is relevant to have well
defined the qualities that English tutors should have. Nordlof (2014, p.57) argued
that:
Some key scaffolding concepts emerge in these descriptions. The first is that a
goal for tutoring becomes clear: to help students achieve what they could not do
on their own. The second is the idea that the nature of support the tutor provides
changes depending on the circumstances. When the student is first learning a
concept, the tutor might provide more explicit modeling and instruction. Later,
when the student is becoming more comfortable with the concept, the tutor
provides an apt metaphor for this approach; the scaffold provides structure, but it
is temporary, meant to be dismantled once the building is in place.
The building that Nordlof refered to is when the process of learning has already
been completed. This supports the procedure that is proposed by the author in this
paper.
Harmer (2007) supported Nordlof’s (2014) point of view
when he stated:
Teachers need to engage the students from early levels, with activities
which are easy and enjoyable to take part in, so that language activities not
only become a normal part of classroom life but also present opportunities
for students to achieve almost instant success. Their first concern is to
prioritize among errors, they should be encouraged to begin by looking for
what has been done well (Harris & Silva 1993) In the tutorial session when
students see their instant success resulting from tutors’ feedback they
became motivated and they started coming to the tutorial session on a
regular basis.
From the same prospective, Powell (1997) reviewed various theories
applied in the design and evaluation of tutoring programs, in which she included
the Gestalt theory. This theory asserted that:
Learning occurs when the learner can “locate” an item in an intellectual
structure or field, or relate an idea to a larger context. This theory suggests
that tutors will have to struggle to make the material meaningful to the tutee
or student through reflecting on their own learning process. This opportunity
In addition, the author of this paper may add that this opportunity can also
help to develop tutor’s ability to see students’ problems to help them in different
ways.
Powell (1997) when reviewing the behaviorist theory, associated her work
with the psychologist Skinner’s (1953), who redefined reinforcement, asserted that;
Effective learning occurs when every correct answer is rewarded. Tutoring
programs that are based on the behaviorist theory are highly structured,
with the tutor presenting materials in a specific order. (…) The tutee is
rewarded by the tutor’s positive acknowledgment for learning the material
presented.
2.4.1 Tutors should convey confidence
Harmer (2007) highlighted one point for the tutors that we need to consider the
issue of affect, which is how the students feel about the learning process. Students
need to feel that the teacher really cares about them; if students feel supported and
valued, they are far more likely to be motivated to learn. To make it a successful
project tutors should avoid over-correction as it can have a very discouraging
effect. Rather than this, the tutors have to achieve a balance between being accurate
and truthful, on the other hand, and treating students sensitively and
sympathetically (Harmer, 2007). It is tutors’ duty to make them aware what
students should expect from the tutors. They need to explicitly state that tutors are
supposed to be educators, not personal editors (Harris & Silva 1993). No matter
how hard a teacher tries to correct errors, in the long run, only the learner can do
the learning necessary to improve performance, regardless of how much treatment
The author of this project agrees with the opinions mentioned above and
states that tutors must convey confidence to students; in this way students can open
up to tutors and tell them the difficulties they have in their learning process.
2.4.2 Tutors should be familiar enough with the course material students use in class
Learners need course books to guide them towards the hard process of
learning. A course book reinforces the teachers’ work and offers material for
further learning and revision. Students’ text books and workbooks come with
suitable updated material easy to handle for regular students to practice alone at
home. Textbooks come with online platforms, Cds or DVDs Rom with interactive
additional practice. With these valuable tools students have the opportunity to be
exposed to the language as much time as they want to and in this way the solution
of lack of exposure to the language would be solved. As teachers, we know that the
instructions of all the materials detailed above come in English, so how do absolute
beginners deal with this? They will not be able to do the task at home; and will not
be able to do the homework given by the regular teacher.
Tutors have to be familiarized with the material used in the classroom in
order to teach absolute beginners how to use it properly. Hutchinson and Torres
(1994) argued “during periods of change, a course book can serve as a tool for
supporting teachers and as an instrument of modifications and alterations.” We can
assume this quotation for tutors, because they are also English teachers and the
periods of change can be considered the time that students need to become